Construction was finished on the new $100 million Robert Mondavi Institute for Wine and Food Science, and a grand opening was held on October 10, 2008 (flier). It is the new home of the Department of Viticulture and Enology and the Department of Food Science & Technology. Construction was funded by a donation from from Robert Mondavi and his wife Margrit. It was the single most substantial private donation that UC Davis has ever received. The institute has its own website up and running, which details every little conceivable detail about the project, including such nuggets as Martin Yan's presence on the RMI board of directors, and that he is a UC Davis alumnus.

Phase I of the construction includes the buildings currently completed - North and South buildings, Sensory Facility - as well as a new student vineyard. The North building houses the Department of Viticulture and Enology, while the South building houses the Department of Food Science & Technology, as well as both departments' counseling offices. These buildings are predominately research space, though both possess more than adequate instructional space. The Sensory Facility is shared between the two departments and includes instructional kitchens as well as sensory research areas. The Sensory Facility (abbreviated RMISEN by the Registrar) also includes a lecture hall that has a listed capacity of 60.

The Institute houses several independent research centers tasked with providing useful research and extension services to Californian winemakers and farmers. The list is projected to grow as the main institute gets up and running, the RMI website currently lists the following centers:

Media

Pictures

North View In the Center Looking East In the Center Looking North East Entrance Looking West Center Looking North East Grapes everywhere Putting in a Full-Grown Olive TreeThere are still some fields Construction Sign

Land

The location, pre-construction

It's interesting that people aren't raising a big stink about loosing all this agricultural land, like Covell Village.

Comments:

2008-09-04 16:25:20 I can guarantee that the only reason the loss of all that Ag land didn't turn into a typical Davis debacle was that construction took place on land owned by the University. They don't have to abide by the town's anti-growth legislation. —SMCareBare